The Sealwoman’s Gift: the extraordinary BBC2 Book Club novel of 17th century Iceland

By (author) Sally Magnusson

‘A remarkable feat of imagination … I enjoyed and admired it in equal measure’ Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent’An extraordinarily immersive read, that emphasises the power of stories, examining themes of motherhood, identity, exile and freedom … a journey that not only crosses continents, but encompasses tragedy and rich sensuality’ Guardian’A powerful tale of Barbary pirates … richly imagined.’ Sunday Times’Engrossing’ Sunday Express ‘Fascinating … a really, really good read’ BBC R2 Book Club’The best sort of historical novel’ Scotsman ‘A lyrical tale’ Stylist’A poetic retelling of Icelandic history’ Daily Mail ‘Compelling stuff’ Good Housekeeping1627. In a notorious historical event, pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted 400 people into slavery in Algiers. Among them a pastor, his wife, and their children.In her acclaimed debut novel Sally Magnusson imagines what history does not record: the experience of Asta, the pastor’s wife, as she faces her losses with the one thing left to her – the stories from home – and forges an ambiguous bond with the man who bought her.Uplifting, moving, and witty, The Sealwoman’s Gift speaks across centuries and oceans about loss, love, resilience and redemption.’Icelandic history has been brought to extraordinary life… An accomplished and intelligent novel’ Yrsa Sigurdardottir, author of Why Did You Lie?’Vivid and compelling’ Adam Nichols, co-translator of The Travels of Reverend Olafur Egilsson

Reviews of The Sealwoman’s Gift: the extraordinary BBC2 Book Club novel of 17th century Iceland

This psychological depth, along with engaging prose and meticulous research into the history on which this novel is based, makes The Sealwoman's Gift another contender for my books of the year * Annethology * Captivating * Scots Magazine * Much more than simply a vividly-imagined historical novel, but a personally touching meditation on the choices we're forced to make in life * Lonesome Reader * Inspired by the country's literary sagas, the novel's heart-wrenching fiction is built around the bloodied bones of fact, words hauled from written records of the 17th century * Sunday Post * Packed with detail and characters, Sally's immersive prose and precise observations entwine you in the action and emotion of this dramatic tale. An absolute triumph of imagination * Press Association * There's something so wonderful about being wholly drawn into a richly imagined historical novel that both illuminates a somewhat forgotten or not-widely-known period of history and gives voice to people who are only glancingly referred to in the history books … this novel brilliantly engages with many of the heartrending conflicts a woman in Asta's position must have faced while also powerfully illuminating the cultural importance of storytelling and the complicated dynamics of love * Lonesome Reader * An engrossing and accomplished novel * The Last Word Book Review * Magnusson's prose never falters … What an exceptional and moving fiction debut this is. * Elle Thinks blog * An impressive debut from Magnusson who seems to have inherited her Icelandic ancestors' talent for beguiling storytelling * The Herald * An astonishing novel that will stay with me for a long time…Asta Thorsteinsdottir is a truly remarkable and resourceful heroine — Waterstones Book Blog A compelling read…While a historical novel, it also contains contemporary resonances, particularly in the way it examines how different people integrate into a society that is completely foreign to them — Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller * Sally Magnusson's wonderfully accomplished first novel is an enthralling mixture of recovered history and the imagining of lost lives. It's a delightful piece of storytelling which is also a story about telling stories. * Yorkshire Post * Remarkably accomplished…The true story behind the novel is almost preposterously epic, yet she brings it to life by inhabiting the minds of her characters — David Robinson * The Scotsman * A lyrical tale full of the Icelandic stories that Asta tells her children and her kidnappers * Stylist * Compelling stuff * Good Housekeeping * Engrossing, atmospheric * Sunday Express * A rich, captivating work * Mail on Sunday * 'Sally Magnusson has taken a little-known historical event – the Barbary corsair raid on Iceland in 1627 – and produced a moving story of suffering and redemption. Her tale of Asta, the Reverend's wife, indomitable survivor of tragedy and heartbreak, is vivid and compelling' — Adam Nichols Icelandic history has been brought to extraordinary life. I was swept up in the story and the vivid plight of people taken away from everything they knew and understood. An accomplished and intelligent novel. * Yrsa Sigurdardottir, author of WHY DID YOU LIE? * Sally Magnusson's wonderfully accomplished first novel is an enthralling mixture of recovered history and the imagining of lost lives. It's a delightful piece of storytelling which is also a story about telling stories … In short, this is the best sort of historical novel * Scotsman * Sally Magnusson writes compellingly of the psychological and physical shocks of being uprooted. Impeccably researched, this is a poetic retelling of Icelandic history. * Daily Mail * Sally Magnusson has turned this grim true story into a page-turner…beautifully told. * Radio Times * Fascinating … a really, really good read * BBC Radio 2 Book Club * Magnusson has certainly done her research, and she has found in the silences of the historical record the space for a novel that moves gracefully between what is known and what must be imagined…Much of the pleasure of reading The Sealwoman's Gift is that of a good yarn well told. * TLS * Moving, accomplished … Richly imagined and energetically told, The Sealwoman's Gift is a powerful tale of loss and endurance * Sunday Times * An evocative, striking new novel … which brings an Icelandic historical tragedy, and in particular, Icelandic woman Asta Egilsson, back to pulsing life. — Stephen McGinty * Times * A remarkable feat of imagination that transports the reader to 17th-century Iceland and Algiers … an extraordinarily immersive read that emphasises the power of stories, examining themes of motherhood, identity, exile and freedom. Through her deft storytelling, Magnusson takes us on a journey that not only crosses continents, but encompasses tragedy and rich sensuality. — Sian Norris * Guardian * From the first, it leaps from the page… I found myself absolutely persuaded by Asta's extraordinary journey from the harsh Icelandic coast to the strange and splendid palaces of Algiers. I enjoyed and admired it in equal measure * Sarah Perry, author of THE ESSEX SERPENT *